Dear Editor,
I was shocked when on page 7 of Monday’s paper I read “Barbados to help St. Maarten to set up Agriculture Dept.” I was shocked and my first reaction was “at last”. Yes, at last, because since 1984, I suggested this to the people in government.
At that time I told them if St. Maarten has to import provisions from our neighbouring islands and there is so much migration from these same neighbouring islands, why not make use of these migrants, negotiate to acquire land and make use of their expertise so that we can have our own agriculture? I got answers like “We working hard on our tourism. Our tourism will bloom enough to sustain us.”
My parents would always tell us to never say “never”, that is why I have to say “At last.”
One would ask where I’m coming from, but I definitely hope that the Immigration Department, the Tax Department and the police would coordinate with each other to clean up the mess among the gypsies and other perpetrators of public transportation in order to bring some order in the place. I say this because in the Cannegieter Street the gypsies are forbidding drivers to park where the gypsies operate from.
We need to clean up. Turning a blind eye to this kind of behaviour encourages other negative behaviour, for instance, highway robberies. What I cannot understand is how is it possible that with so many security guards with security dogs in Front Street, so often during the time that everybody is around, robberies take place. Yes, in broad daylight. I do not know the details, but something is wrong with that picture.
If I do not mention the following, I believe that your readers will make me out to be a hypocrite, because of late too often people want to know what has become of policing on St. Maarten. Because of what I did, people who speak to me continue to ask why did they change the uniform. That uniform that the police are wearing does not command respect. I do not hang out dirty linen but I have to agree with that observation concerning the uniform, because I know (again from experience) that a uniform without headgear is not considered complete and, believe it or not, that alone has influence on the perception of authority.
Actually my intention was to let the month of December be used for end-of-the-year festivities, but then the Governor sees the current status far from perfect; the Prime Minister says we are too dependent on the Netherlands and to top it off a young man literally stopped me and asked me to turn into the parking lot because he wanted to ask me something. I know him to be a serious person so I waited for him. The first thing he said to me while holding the newspaper was, “I didn’t know that NAGICO could turn the police force into a ‘Lions club’?”
Because it was the weekend I had not yet read the paper, so he showed me the article. I scanned through it with the intention of reading it later. Because from experience I know, what up to this day the people pay attention to when they see a police officer in uniform, I too paid extra attention to the uniforms in that picture, And as the saying goes “A picture is worth a thousand words” There is a saying in Dutch “De kleren maken de man” (Fine feathers make fine birds). What that young man was not pleased about is that according to him NAGICO will continue to do these things.
I told him that I completely understood his frustration and he is not the first person who has confronted me with their frustrations concerning the involvement of NAGICO into many things on St. Maarten. I also explained him that he should find out who represents NAGICO in these negotiations, because it is not all of the NAGICO employees are responsible for what happens under the name of NAGICO.
I told him that if he writes a factual letter to the editor not smearing NAGICO, the editor is the one who decides to print or not to print. I, however, would like for someone to explain me if CARS is the authority to investigate traffic accidents? One day the traffic was held up from by the roundabout by Grande Marche to the Cay Hill/Cole Bay roundabout. When I finally got within eyeshot I noticed what the traffic jam was all about. A police officer was waiting for CARS to come and decide the fate of the drivers involved in an accident. And this seems to have become the norm. So my question remains “What have we become? Is being ‘humane’ a good thing?”
But for that young man who is not pleased that the police are being used by NAGICO, the term is “perception”. We were forbidden to accept gifts given out of gratitude because that could be perceived as bribery. Even though this was done in the open, evil tongues could suggest that something else could be going on in private. The police should never accept such a suggestion. Police are not there to participate in any popularity contests. Respect is earned by treating everyone with equal respect. Police should not be used to distinguish who deserves and who does not deserve gratuities.
I do not think that Chief John looked at the big picture, and for that matter I believe that the Minister of Justice should be consulted. My question is, where does it end? What is Chief John going to say to the management of, for instance, MNA tomorrow when MNA wants to give tools to the motorists and ask the police to do that for them? I can go on and on with all kinds of examples. I do not believe that that was in keeping with good taste and propriety.
Let me end by saying it the Caribbean way. “If I don’t have a bad name why do I need to look for a good name?” We have to lead by example.
Russell A. Simmons
